


Boyish

by fallofthereichenbach



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Marauders era, Modern AU, Non-magical AU, band au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 22:51:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11542068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallofthereichenbach/pseuds/fallofthereichenbach
Summary: In which James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, and Peter are in a young band called the Marauders. And they go on tour.PROBABLY NOT EVER GOING TO BE FINISHED, SORRY, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK





	Boyish

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I really love the band Hippo Campus, and they remind me of the Marauders.
> 
> BUT the characters are completely different, obviously, and I'm not trying to make the Marauders into the members of Hippo Campus or vice versa, Hippo Campus just inspired me to make a band fic.
> 
> Unfortunately there aren't any female members of HC yet, but of course that didn't stop me including Lily in band because Lily's great.
> 
> Further disclaimer: I know essentially nothing about music and the industry, so apologies for any mistakes/inaccuracies.
> 
> Enjoy!

It all started when James got that guitar.

That's what Sirius was going to blame all this on. James and his bloody guitar.

He'd liked listening to music from an early age, and this developed into him dragging the rest of them to all kinds of concerts once they worked out how to bluff their way in. They formed quick and passionate attachments to bands; they'd learn the lyrics off by heart so they could belt them out whilst driving to nowhere in Peter's car, then forget all about them after a week or so. Rinse and repeat.

James decided to ask for a guitar for his eighteenth birthday, claiming he'd need it for when they went off to university (being who they were, they were all headed to the same place). 

The addition of a guitar to their late-night karaoke sessions really started to change the tone. Suddenly they were thinking about melodies and harmonies and making sure they actually knew the lyrics. For them, this was a dangerous sign that they were starting to take things seriously. Remus actually caught James watching an educational music video on how to play guitar since (in his grumpy words) "I thought I'd know how to play this damn thing by now" ('now' being a week after he got it).

They got into a fairly good pattern; on weekends, they'd all head to James' house since he had the most chill parents of all of them, and they'd sit in his room for hours just playing around with something that wasn't quite music yet. It wasn't their own original stuff, more snippets from whatever old punk song Sirius claimed to 'discover', the latest pop thing that was Pete's guilty pleasure, the indie trends that Remus claimed to be following ironically, and even once a rendition of 'Cotton-Eyed Joe' suggested by James which lasted for two hours.

Next thing, it just so happened one Saturday that Peter casually suggested hanging out at his place. When they eventually made it halfway across town to his house, they were suddenly reminded that Peter had that cool older brother who they had all secretly wanted to be; this reminder came in the form of said brother's old drum kit that he didn't want any more. 

Now they had a guitar and drums and some hazy dreams that were starting to form. James memorised chords, Peter got a few crappy lessons from his wholly disinterested brother, and the boys started to feel like rock stars. But they weren't quite there yet.

Remus met Lily Evans as a redhead tornado that blasted through the coffee shop he worked at sometimes and demanded caffeine. From there, a fairly close friendship developed. They even started to meet up outside of heavily sugar-related areas - much to the annoyance of his other friends, who were determined to meet this girl who they thought at first had stolen Remus' heart. He tried hard to explain to him that they were just platonic, but they didn't quite believe him until they met her and surprisingly James started sticking up for him. It didn't make sense until one day Sirius pointed out the way James was staring at Lily (quite loudly, while they were all in the same room), and then it did make sense.

Lily soon became a firm member of what was starting to become more than just a few friends jamming in a car. She could play electric violin, which was a lot cooler than it sounded, and she was also good for the lower notes of their vocals.

So the four became five, and they were a lot better off for it.

One day after another successful 'music' session that had ended with a guitar, drum, and violin solo all happening at once in a deafening cacophony, Sirius turned to Remus quite nonchalantly and said

"We should get guitars, shouldn't we?"

"Yep, I think it's the only way they'll listen to us."

So, a few days later, Remus and Sirius hit up the second-hand music shop in the town centre. They had no idea what they were looking for, so sheepishly had to ask the girl behind the counter for advice. After an hour or so of trying out different sizes and styles and types they left with two different guitars, one electric and one bass.

"Why are we doing this?" Asked Sirius, as they walked home slowly. They were dawdling, though it didn't really occur to either of them why. Despite the heavy weight on Sirius's back, he felt oddly at peace in the late afternoon sunlight.

"Because it'll be fun, Pads," Remus shrugged, and that was that. Sirius always struggled to say no to Remus in particular; it was probably something to do with the brown eyes and the floppy hair and the way he occasionally gave Sirius unexpected shivers... But that was something else, something he was determined not to think about.

"Is that going to be my stage name?"

"If you we ever make it on stage, that is."

They would eventually make it to a stage, yes; it took three years of rehearsing songs that weren't theirs, then rehearsing songs that were, performing at any open mic opportunity they could grab, uploading any footage they could get to YouTube, writing to sponsors and record labels and gigs, getting booked to sing in pubs and even once at a wedding. 

And now - finally, finally, FINALLY - their first official show as The Marauders. A whole 50 people in a cramped venue who'd all paid to come and see them.

They'd come a fair way from off-key singing in Pete's rusty old car.

*

"So, to recap, it's all James' fault," Sirius finished. They were all quite antsy, pacing the small room backstage that really wasn't very soundproof. They could hear people arriving, and it didn't feel real yet but hearts were pounding.

"But if me getting a guitar kick started us as a band then surely you should be thanking me?"

"Typical Prongs, so desperate for applause... Nope, James, I'm blaming you for the fact that I can't feel my face right now. Maybe we should tell everyone we've broken up the band and send them home."

"Please, can we stop calling ourselves a 'band'?" Lily interjected, blowing her fringe out of her eyes, "It feels like tempting fate, this is our first proper gig, and I'm fairly sure 2/3 of the people are only here because James' parents bribed them. We're just a bunch of Marauders."

"Come on, Foxglove, cheer up" Sirius patted her arm, "If we give it a label we can convince ourselves it's happening. I'd have thought you'd know this, after you got together with Prongs and all..."

She stuck her tongue out at him and went to grab a drink of water. Peter had wandered off to the loo, and James was peering round the door like he could see the crowd from there.

"You nervous?" Sirius asked Remus, trying to play it cool.

"I think we all are. I'm fairly sure I know none of our songs."

"If you freeze up then just start playing stuff from The Beatles."

"You're kidding, right? Literally none of our songs sound like The Beatles!"

"I know, but you love The Beatles. You said they calm you down."

Remus rolled his eyes, and Sirius winked at him. Which was fine, a perfectly friendly gesture. Except then they hit a wall of awkwardness that had started cropping up more and more in their conversations. First a pause, which stretched into an uncomfortable silence, second they would both look at each other at the same time before looking away like the glance had scorched them.

God knows how long that would have lasted if it hadn't been for the arrival of the bored-looking stage manager.

"You guys ready?"

**Author's Note:**

> FUN CHALLENGE: go and listen to [all of] Hippo Campus' music, then see if you can guess which of them reminds me of which Marauder!
> 
> Wow jeez Hippo Campus should be paying me for all of this free promotional content...


End file.
